Prior to Thursday, the last time Dee Paul (Munday, Texas/Munday) was a part of a state-championship atmosphere was 2007. He was a seventh-grader in the Munday school district and a water boy for the high school varsity football team.
Paul watched Munday defeat Bremond, 26-6, to win the Class A Division II state title. Five years later, Paul -- now a three-star athlete with high-major offers -- is a state champion again after leading the Moguls to a 42-14 win against Tenaha, Texas. Paul, who plays quarterback for Munday, rushed for 263 yards and three touchdowns and was named the game’s offensive MVP.
What’s next for Paul? A recruiting decision that has a new player. The 6-foot, 170-pound athlete, formerly committed to SMU, had Oklahoma State and Texas Tech as his front-runners, but a new program has emerged recently.
“Baylor offered me the other day,” Paul said. “I like their program; they win. I like Coach [Art] Briles. He’s actually from Rule, Texas, which is about 30 miles from Munday.”
Paul said Baylor is looking to play him in the secondary as a cornerback. He said he is looking into planning a visit to the campus. Paul still has all five of his allowed official visits to use. He’s being recruited to Baylor by co-offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery.
“This makes the race a lot closer now,” said Paul, who hosted in-home visits to Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, respectively, last week.
Paul is being looked at as both a receiver and cornerback. Offensively, Paul finished the year with 1,955 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns. He also threw for 1,579 yards, 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions.